Intense pressure is mounting on Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to resign in fulfilment of his political campaign pledge.
The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for North Tongu who prides himself as a ‘man of principle,’ promised to resign should any high-profile member of NDC use a chartered flight at the expense of the Ghanaian tax payer.
The calls for Ablakwa’s resignation followed the recent emergence of images and reports showing Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang arriving in Ghana on a chartered private jet, an incident that has directly contradicted the Minister’s previous public vows against such expenditures.
The controversy ignited on Thursday, May 22, 2025, when photographs and news surfaced of Vice President Opoku-Agyemang’s return to Ghana from a nearly two-month medical leave in the United Kingdom.
She was welcomed by President John Dramani Mahama at the Presidential Lounge of the Kotoka International Airport.
The Vice President’s landing from a chartered Jista flight immediately drew public scrutiny.
In the wake of these revelations, a video recording of a past interview featuring Mr. Ablakwa has gone viral across social and mainstream media platforms.
Mr. Ablakwa is heard in the widely circulated video, explicitly promising to resign from his position if a future NDC government were to engage in the use of private jets for official travel, a practice he vehemently condemned under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
This perceived inconsistency has sparked an avalanche of criticism from various segments of the Ghanaian public, many of whom are demanding that Mr. Ablakwa honour his word and step down.
The public sentiment appears to be fueled by a sense of disillusionment, with critics questioning the integrity of a politician who has positioned himself as a staunch anti-corruption crusader and a defender of the public purse.
Heightening the complexity of the situation is Mr. Ablakwa’s prominent role as the chairman of “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) within the current NDC administration.
A five-member committee, was specifically tasked to start the operationalisation of ORAL with gathering intelligence and information on suspected or alleged corruption and corruption-related activities that occurred under the previous Akufo-Addo government.
The critical question now being asked is how Mr. Ablakwa’s continued leadership of an anti-corruption initiative like ORAL can be reconciled with the apparent breach of his own public promise regarding state expenditure.
His passionate advocacy against what he previously termed “opulent” and “wasteful” private jet travel appears to clash directly with the circumstances surrounding the Vice President’s recent return.
Defence Minister Defence
The Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has defended the Vice President’s use of the chartered jet, citing the unserviceable condition of the official presidential jet due to alleged neglect by the previous administration.
However, this explanation has done little to quell the public’s demand for accountability from Mr. Ablakwa.
Ablakwa’s conundrum has opened a broader debate on political consistency, the personal integrity of public officials, and the challenges of upholding principles when in power.
All eyes are remain on Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as to see how he addresses this significant challenge to his credibility and public standing.
